The Kitten In The Lion's Den
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Almost everything he knew about this cruel life involved violence, brute strength, and power, but she was the only thing that was different; she was the one who had taught him true strength, in gentleness.


**Written literally on the slightest whim, this is dedicated to my cousin, Sasukez (your Christmas present!). I blame her and the rest of the K fandom at the moment for making me simply unable to keep from writing about these twos' relationship.**

**I must apologize for the OOC-ness and inaccurate things from the real story that are bound to be in this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own K Project.**

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The Kitten In The Lion's Den

Golden sunlight bathed the city from a dark blue sky, highlighting the bright, white clouds as they floated easily along on the breeze.

The wind was fairly cool that day, but for some reason, the atmosphere felt a little hotter than it should have.

A tall man with spiky, red hair, dressed in long pants, a white shirt, and a fur-rimmed jacket walked through the crowds of people with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Although the Red King, Mikoto Suoh, was not particularly a common nor uncommon sight within the city, the people around him, whether they knew his identity or not, seemed to unconsciously clear a path for him. Perhaps it was the uncomfortably hot aura that surrounded his stoic face that seemed to expertly hide some kind of boiling rage. Or perhaps it was the nasty glares his companion, Misaki Yata, was shooting around like fiery daggers as they walked along.

Their pace was somewhat rushed, yet their strides were normal; there was an air of un-rushed urgency about the two men that gave a normal onlooker a prickling feeling that they were eagerly trying to go somewhere without appearing so.

Although Misaki admired his king and often tried to converse with him as much as possible whenever the opportunity arouse, presently he kept his lips pursed as he walked beside Mikoto, keeping a tight grip on his skateboard as he went.

_Wow._ Misaki thought as he stole a sidelong glance at his king. _He might not look like it, but Mikoto-san is pretty apprehensive right now. Izumo-san looked really guilty when he told Mikoto-san what happened, and he probably thinks he's in trouble or something. But Mikoto-san doesn't seem to care about anything else right now except addressing the problem directly._

The two members of HOMRA continued to walk in silence until they arrived at a familiar bar. When they reached the door, Mikoto went in first as Misaki followed.

"Yo, Izumo-san." Misaki greeted.

"Hey, Misaki-kun, Mikoto-san." The bartender, who was presently polishing a glass from behind the counter, bowed.

"Don't call me that." Misaki grumbled as he sat down on one of the stools.

"Izumo." Mikoto said simply.

"Ah, yes. She's in the back." The blonde replied instantly as he lifted a thumb to point. The Red King nodded once before stepping out of sight.

Once he was out of earshot, Misaki turned to Izumo. "Heh. It's almost impossible to tell that he's been worried this whole time." He said.

"Well of course he'd be worried." Izumo shrugged. "He's just like the big brother everyone always wanted. There really is no better King."

Misaki nodded in agreement. "He was fairly calmer now than when he had been rushing through the town. He looked normal but his eyes were on fire and it was like he was silently yelling at people to get out of his way."

"Well, naturally." Izumo agreed with a small smirk as he looked back toward the room where Mikoto had disappeared. "Because Anna is sick."

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The King did not have to walk far before he reached the staff room behind the bar.

The room was small with a simple green wallpaper and pale carpet; a table to one side had several glasses of water, an assortment of books and other items atop it. On the other side was a couch that had been opened up into a temporary bed.

A small girl in a dark Lolita dress lie curled up on her side, a matching hat lie to one side of the pillow her head rested upon, and her long, alabaster hair pooled out onto the cushions behind her. Her small, white hands curled limply before her chest, and three red marbles lie motionless just beyond her fingertips.

Mikoto closed the door to the room and went to her side, gazing down at her familiar form.

She was shivering in the cool air, even in her layered dress, and Mikoto clenched his fists in his pockets before letting the frustration ebb away. She was probably the only person in the world who could make him act this way, to make him feel so terribly helpless inside. She was so small and easily hurt, like a doll who would effortlessly break if handled too roughly.

She sensed his presence, probably long before he had entered the room, but it appeared she had been too exhausted to open her eyes until now.

"Mikoto..." she murmured on a trembling breath.

"Hey." He replied in his low voice. He reached down and patted her head, ruffling her hair gently. "When did you get sick?"

"Last night." She confessed, her usually-fragile voice sounding even thinner. Her shoulders shook violently for an instant as a shudder ran through her. Mikoto withdrew his hand and sat down on the edge of the makeshift bed. The three marbles rolled to one side and Anna reached out to gather them back to her.

"Here," he offered. "I'll hold onto them." Her fingers brushed against his skin as she pushed the marbles into his palm and he placed them into his pocket. "You're freezing." He muttered.

"Mm mm." She shook her head slowly as a small smile appeared on her lips. "Now that Mikoto is here, I'll be okay."

"Sorry it took me so long." He apologized quietly. She smiled and shook her head again.

With a lopsided grin that faded all too quickly, he channeled a small portion of his powers into heating the temperature in the room, similarly to how he would melt falling snow before it made contact with him. The small girl trembled as the cold finally began to melt away and be replaced by a warmth that was like a fireplace.

Anna gasped once softly before she buried her face into the pillow and sneezed twice. Mikoto frowned and extended his arm, patting her back comfortingly. Her glossy, alabaster hair was soft and cool, and her back still shivered from her sickness.

A moment later, a small moan escaped her lips and Mikoto recoiled his hand. "What's wrong?"

"My head hurts..." she whimpered.

"Come here." The King mumbled, pulling her forward a bit.

Groggily, Anna pushed herself up, leaving her hat behind, and managed to lift her aching head just enough to rest in his lap where she lie still with a sigh. She closed her rose-colored eyes as Mikoto lightly patted her head, lazily running his fingers through her hair.

His hands were so large he often frightened people just by curling his fingers into a fist, but Anna never once flinched upon his touch, and there was something about that fact that charmed him. She never judged or mistrusted him no matter what.

Like a guardian angel of sorts, she was always by his side whenever he was beginning to feel conflicted. She was always there in the back of his mind, a constant, soft reminder that he believed helped keep him sane just one day longer. Almost everything he knew about this cruel life involved violence, brute strength, and power, but she was the only thing that was different; she was the one who had taught him true strength, in gentleness.

Victim to a certain kind of colorblindness, she could only recognize the color red. Surely in her lifetime she had seen thousands of red things, probably never having forgotten the specific shade of any. But no matter how curious she must have been about fathoming the perception of other colors, no matter how tired she must have been of seeing only the same red over and over again, she still believed that his red was the most beautiful, and she always reminded him of that; for that, he was also grateful to her.

Maybe it was because she was so small, but he always felt a powerful urge to protect her. She was a thousand times more fragile than he, bleeding from a slight cut or shivering from a cold breeze; it was almost as if they were different species. He remembered when she had succumbed to fatigue after a long day's worth of running and fighting that had hardly caused him to break a sweat. He had carried her on his back all the way home, and even then her weight was almost nothing, and her warmth was lost to him, the only reminder that she was there at all being the faint rhythm of her heartbeat.

It was her existence that had changed him in such a significant way. He knew he would be lost without her in many more ways than one, which was why the silent support she so unknowingly provided for him was so greatly appreciated.

Therefore, it was times like these when he felt obliged to pay her back.

He continued to pat her head gingerly for several moments until, at last, her furrowed eyebrows became slack and the pained expression faded from her face. A moment later, she reopened her rosy irises and moved her head side to side experimentally.

"Better?" He wondered, and she managed to nod.

He then patted the spot beside him and, obediently, Anna sat up. He opened his arm to the side and she slipped perfectly into the space he provided, leaning against his chest as he draped his arm around her small shoulders. She let her head fall sideways and rest against him as Mikoto continued to emit a faint heat to keep her warm. Before very long, her shivering ceased altogether and Anna let out a barely audible sigh.

"As I thought... it's warmest next to you." She breathed, letting her eyelids flutter shut. She went limp against him and within moments her breathing had slowed as she fell into slumber.

Mikoto sighed, but had nothing whatsoever planned for the remainder of the day and, therefore, was not particularly chagrined to remain just where he was.

As he sat there, the Red King decided to let himself relax a bit as well, as he could hardly recall the last time he did so. He leaned slowly against the back of the couch as to not wake his companion. He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes, making sure to remain conscious.

The little, fluttering heartbeat at his side was the one thing he knew he could not live without.

And yet it terrified him. All too often, he felt that the dangerously heavy responsibilities he bore would end up crushing himself and everything he cared about. At first, and even sometimes at present, he felt that her existence was simply too tiny to bear such weight. He feared for her, being a kitten in a lion's den; it was all up to him whether the jaws would crush her, or if the large paws could keep her safe.

He did not keep track of the time that passed, but when he next felt a slight stirring beside him and reopened his eyes, the room was significantly darker.

A petite sneeze jolted Anna awake and Mikoto gave a long yawn. He tapped her shoulder as she wiped her eyes before looking up into his, her irises still glazed and weary from sleep.

"Let's go eat." He stated simply, just as she was beginning to feel hungry. Anna gave a tiny smile and nodded.

Mikoto stood, supporting her back with one hand as he helped her find her footing. Digging into his pocket, he retrieved the three red marbles and placed them into her small palm before picking up her hat and positioning it on her head. Anna tightly clutched the three marbles in one hand and held them to her chest as she reached out her other hand to hold his.

Mikoto gently squeezed her hand back, and together they headed toward the door.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you liked it!**

**Please review!**


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